Coupling for power-wires.



R. D. COOMBS. COUPLING FOR POWER WIRES. APPLICATION FILED APR. 19, 1913.

Patented Mar. 21, 1916.

A 0mm.

UNITED STATES PATENT ROBERT D. COOMBS, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YGBK.

COUPLING FOR POWER-WIRES.

Application filed April 19, 1913.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ROBERT D. CooMBs, a citizen of the United States, residing in the borough of Brooklyn, county of Kings, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Couplings for Power-Wires.

This invention relates to coupling devices for supporting and holding electric wires,more particularly high tension cables,to insulators, and particularly relates to a means by which the cable or power wire, or other similar conductor, may be supported and retained in supported relation to, or coupled to, the insulator.

Among the objects of my invention may be noted the following: to provide means by which the wire or cable may be securely coupled to the insulator without imposing upon the latter any excessive strain; to provide a coupling means between the wire and insulator which will prevent the latter from being fractured or injured in any way, and will prevent the wire from being broken adjacent the insulator; to provide means by which, if the wire should become broken at the insulator, within the confines of the coupling, or outside the coupling, or clamps thereof, the wire will still be supported upon the structure and prevented from dropping into position where it would be dangerous or liable to cause injury; and to provide a simple, cheap and compact coupling having advantages and uses as hereinafter described and claimed.

WVith the above objects in view, and others which will be detailed during the course of this description, my invention consists in the parts, features, elements and combinations of elements hereinafter described and claimed. 7

In order that my invention may be clearly understood, I have provided drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of an insulator and wire or cable of usual form, showing the application of my coupling means; F ig. 2 is a top plan view of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a top plan view and partial section showing the application of another form of my invention; Fig. 4 is an end view of one form of clamping means showing the eye-bolt clamped therein and the cable or wire in section; and Fig. 5 is a perspective view of another form of clamp.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented 21, E316,

Serial No. 762,182.

indicates a usual form of insulator, 2 being its support, and 3 the usual pin extending therein or therethrough. The insulator is usually headed at a, leaving a neck below the same which is encircled by the parts of my coupling. In the form of insulator shown, the head is usually provided with a transverse groove 5, in which lies the wire or cable 6.

My coupling, in the form shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 4-, consists of a supporting member the two like portions 7 and S, of which have central semi-circular portions encircling the neck of the insulator and conforming substantially thereto, and the opposite end extensions 7 and 8. Each of the extensions 7 and 8 is provided with an eye through which a headed bolt 9 extends, which is secured in place by the nut 10, so as to hold between said extensions a link 11, which is connected to the eye 12, of a bolt 17, extending longitudinally of the clamp and provided at its outer end with the head 13, whichretains said bolt between the jaws of the clamp. The clamp consists of the two similar parts 14 and 15, the sides 16 of which are grooved to conform to the shape of the body of the bolt 17, whereby the latter is held in position, but with freedom of movement so as to swivel within the jaws of the clamp. The opposite sides 18 of the clamp are grooved longitudinally to receive the wire or cable 6, and the opposite ends of said portions 18 of the clamp are flared as at 19, to permit play of the wire or cable at the opposite ends of the clamp.

The parts of the clamp are firmly secured together by the headed bolts 20, each of which has applied thereto a nut 21. In this form of my coupling device, it will be seen that great flexibility is provided between the eye-bolts and the members 7 and 8, and the latter are secured to the insulator so as to enable them to move relatively thereto.

In the form of my coupling shown in Fig. 3, the insulator is shown at 4 in section, and may be of the same form as that shown in Fig. l, or of any other suitable form, and the members 22 and 23 are not of the same form; that is to say, the member 23 is made flat and provided with the lip or flange 2% between which and the insulator the wire 6 has, or may have, a certain amount of play. In this form of my invention, as well as in the form of Fig. 1, an additional link or links 25 may be provided between the eye 12 of the bolt 17, and the link 11, secured to the members 22 and 23, or the members 7 and 8, to provide additional flexibility or extent of movement between the insulator and the wire or cable 6. In the form of my ivention shown in Fig. 3, the clamping members are, or may be, the same as shown in Fig. 1, or said clamping members may be as shown 111 Fig. 5, wherein the eye-bolt is omitted, and the hook or eye 26 is formed on, or as an integral part of, one of the clampingriembers 27. The other clamping member 28 is substantially the same as one of the clamping members of the other forms of my invention, excepting that the groove in the side thereof, in which the eye-bolt 17 extends, has been omitted, as well as from the clamping member 27. V The opposite sides of the clamping members 27 and 28 are formed substantially the same as in Fig. 4-, and the ends of said members are flared or formed bell-mounted, as shown at 19, the same as in the other figures.

The mode of applying my coupling device to the line Wire and insulator is illustrated two ways in Figs. 1 and 2, and in 3, respectively; but in either form of my invention, or in any other form of'my invention, the metal loops or members 7 and 8, or 22 and 23 pass around or inclose the insulator, and are connected to clamps at opposite ends. However, it will be obvious that one of the clamping members, at one side of the insulator, may be entirely omitted, and the portions 7 and 8 may be secured upon'the insulator with one clamp only, at either the right or left, secured thereto and to the line wire. This would'be at a terminal of the line wire, for example.

lip 24- prevents the line wire from slipping off the insulator, or having injurious action on, or relatively to, the insulator, and forms an intermediate support on the coupling between the clamps thereof. The gist of my invention, in the matter of the connec tion between'the clamps and the members 7 and 8, for example, is that it shall be absolutely flexible and permit of movement substantially in all directions so as to yield, or give, and allow play between the coupling and the line wire. This is an important feature of my invention. The form of the loops or members '7 and 8 may be varied according to conditions and uses; that is to say, said members may be made of round wire or metal, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, or one of them may be round and the other flat, or of any suitable form, as shown in Fig. 3. The conditions of use and the mode employed one at each end of the members 7 and 8, or one clamp only on either side desired, so that the coupling can be made in two directions, or only one, according to conditions and position of use. The employment of the links, providing for the I flexible connection between the insulator and the line wire, permit use of the. coupling either on curves, tangents, or around angles, and enables the wire to turn angles without danger of fracturing the same. In this connection, it will be obvious that with the members 7 and 8 secured to the insulator or support, and the clamps secured to the line wire at opposite sides of an angle, practically any turn can be made in any way desired. As shown in the several figures, the power wire may pass over the head of the insulator or around the same.

In the use of my coupling device, if the insulator fails and the combination, a. 6.,

the coupling, drops on the support or other part of the supporting structure, the said coupling will resist melting better than the power wire and the clamps attached to the wire, being at a distance on either side, will still hold the wire, even if the latter between the clamps and insulator is melted or injured. This is an important feature of my invention upon which I desire to lay stress Furthermore, the connection between the clamps and the insulator allows motion of the line wire and the coupling in all directions, since the links and eye bolts provide a flexible connection which reduces wear or chance of crystallization of the power wire, which might occur if the clamps or their connection to the insulator were rigid. The fiaredor bell-mouth of the clamps through which the line wirevpasses prevents the latter from bending sharply which, it is well-known, causes crystallization. This is an important feature of my invention, since, with the use of ordinary wire supports at the insulator, the constant movement of the wire causes the latter to bend sharply, crystallize, and snap, thus letting the wire down upon the ground, and slackening the wire sometimes for hundreds of yards in either direction. The form of my coupling is such that it may be installed without changing existing insulators, or modifying their structure in any particu lar. If the insulator becomes fractured or broken in any way, the loop of my coupling surrounding the insulator will drop down upon the pin 3,'thus still holding the line wire in position, and preventing it from dropping as is usually the case when the insulator is broken, fractured, or destroyed. Preferably, the coupling is set slack so as to permit play between the members 7 and 8, and the clamps, thus avoiding constant strain on the insulator. This is important since it i well-known that combined mechanical and electrical stress has a weakening effect on the insulator which is overcome entirely by my form of coupling. If the current should happen to are over the insulator, viz., from the wire to the insulator support, the clamps will be out of range, and will remain unaflected by the are.

All the foregoing advantages, functions, and operations are of great importance to my invention and are the direct result of the structural features thereof, and are emphasized to show the value and importance of my flexible couplin Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A coupling having, in combination, a supporting member; a clamp through which a wire may extend, said clamp having an eye-bolt swiveled thereto; and a slack flexible connection between said eye-bolt and said supporting member, whereby the wire engaged by the clamp may move the latter substantially universally relatively to the supporting member.

2. A coupling having, in combination, a supporting member; a clamp having a passage therethrough for engaging a wire, the passage at the ends of the clamp being flared to permit the free movement of the wire relatively to the clamp; an eye-bolt extending through the clamp parallel with the wire passage; and means flexibly con necting the eye-bolt with the supporting member.

3. A coupling having, in combination, a

supporting member; a clamp for engaging a wire composed of two elongated flat members having extending longitudinally thereof at one edge an eyeb0lt, and a passage for the wire extending longitudinally thereof at the other edge, and means extending through said members between the wire passage and eye-bolt for holding the members together upon the bolt and wire; and means for flexibly connecting the clamping memher to the supporting member.

4. In combination with a service wire and a usual insulator; a coupling comprising a supporting member and having means for application to the insulator; a pair of clamps and means connecting the same to the service wire at remote points and on opposite sides of the insulator; means for flexibly connecting the clamps to the supporting member without tension or stress upon the wire; and all said parts being composed of metal having a higher fusing point than the service wire with which the same are to be used, whereby, should the service wire be burned at a point between the clamps and the supporting member, the coupling would still hold the wire in operative position, and whereby the said coupling is so disposed relatively to the wire as to prevent any portion of the latter beyond the extremes of the coupling from being fused or burner.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ROBERT D. OOOMBS.

Witnesses:

CHAS. MoC. CHAPMAN, M. Hnnsxovirz.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Eatents, Washington, D. G. 

